Magazine

Young AFCEANs Lead Charge on Training, Education

The chapter's Young AFCEANs are moving to counter the effects of sequestration, which quickly began cutting into military tuition aid, by weaving training and mentoring threads into a wide array of events. Training and education have become so essential to getting active-duty personnel involved in attending events for AFCEA, even more so now because of sequestration, said Emily Rausch, Young AFCEA adviser to the chapter board, adding that training and education levels could begin to impact workers employability in local job markets. The education focus was prominent at the chapter's monthly happy hour in March, where Al Lee, a capture manager for Washington, D.C.-based Abacus Technology, served as the featured speaker. Lee, a retired Air Force officer, led a spirited discussion on transitioning from the military into industry while giving perspectives on the current contract and acquisition climate and career development for ambitious Young AFCEANs. The monthly chapter happy hour took place at the Boiler House, near San Antonio's historic Pearl Brewery. The facility has been chosen to host future happy hours as well as a Young AFCEA mentor-protégé matching event that is in the works for June.

The chapter's first Lunch and Learn presentation of the year also took place in March, as Col. W. Andrew Pennington, USAF, U.S. Air Force Cyber Command (AFCYBER) Forward, led a discussion on the “Weaponization of Cyberspace.” Some 26 people registered for the March event, stretching the limits of the Lockheed Martin venue. Col. Pennington is an individual mobility augmentee reporting to the deputy commander of AFCYBER, which serves as the 24th Air Force commander's primary liaison and personal representative to both the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.

Additionally, a two-part series on Mobile Apps has been scheduled this spring, further rounding out the professional education offerings. For part one of the series, the chapter will host a Business 2 Breakfast panel on data security in the rapidly changing mobile apps field on April 10. Panelists include John Dickson of the Denim Group; Col. Clay Perce, USAF, Air Force Personnel Operations Agency; and Jim Kenna of the AMEDD Center and School. They plan to discuss the evolution and future of mobile apps in the government work space; security issues posed by mobile apps; as well as the challenges and benefits of native vs. Web mobile apps, bring your own device (BYOD) policies and mobile device management (MDM). Part two of the series, a Lunch and Learn discussion on designing mobile apps from concept to marketplace, will be led by subject-matter expert John Nanna of FEDITC on May 8. The discussion will touch on the types of apps being developed today, development methods and supporting trends (BYOD, MDM, cloud computing), and how these trends connect with government information technology and industry.

Meanwhile, Young AFCEANs already are engaged in discussions on mobile apps through the chapter's Facebook page—a no-cost option to share knowledge and learn from the various experts involved in AFCEA.